In Denial

[Jack]

Why do we all do it?

I've been having chest pain since the middle of last week and convinced myself that I had broken a rib with coughing, it felt just like when I've broken ribs in the past. However, this was a bit different. I could not pin point the pain and it came and went all the time. Then, the stuff I cough up started to develop an odd taste and now I'm told it smells! :(
Yes, I know I have a chest infection and will be at the doctors on Monday morning (I think it can wait untill then), but I really knew what was going on by Friday and could have done something about it then.

[elephant]

Denial protects us from going crazy. The statement that I make in my brain,"Not again!, What now?" I totally understand what your saying Jack. I do the same thing all the time and wait till the next day to see if it gets better and then I will wait another day and another day and all the sudden I can't barely breathe/walk. Denial is some sort of way to protect our Psyche, because our disease is so overwhelming at times. Get to the doctor soon. :D

[Sangye]

I do it, too, of course. Just get tired of more symptoms, more doctor visits, more drugs, more side effects.... Bleh. :(

Even so, if you're having chest pain I think Monday might be too far off to get it checked. Pneumonia can worsen very quickly. Any other symptoms you don't want to mention? Chills, sweats, fevers, fatigue, etc...? :rolleyes:

[Jack]

Well, I swapped my antibiotic for a different one that I had laying around (I only have a few left so will have to see the doc) and the bad taste has now gone so some progress. :) I still have a lot of pain in spite of paracetamol so I took an extra dose of pred this morning (not to be recommended!) and we'll see how the day goes.

No other symptoms. :)

[elephant]

First denial then self treatment. I love it, I always have extra Bactrim and I do the same thing. I try it out for a few days and if it doesn't work, then I call the doctor. Self treatment really isn't a good thing, but it makes us feel like were in control.:rolleyes::)

[Sangye]

LOL.. Well, to be fair, not all self-treatment is the same. When you have the experience and knowledge that comes from working with the drugs, treatments and your own body for so long, you're probably as accurate as the docs will be. It's not like the dr is going to culture sputum and wait for the result before giving the exact right antibiotic. No, they're going to take their best guess and start one. I think if you weren't going to the doc tomorrow, though, I'd make a stink about it. :D

[Jack]

I'll ring the clinic at the end of my road at 8:30 in the morning and will have an appointment within the following couple of hours, its never a problem. Unless I'm missing something, the doc will probably accept my diagnosis with a cursory listen to my chest and measure of my blood pressure and prescribe some more of the same antibiotic if it seems to still be working.

Most of the day has been quite good, but my chest has just started to hurt a bit again. Hope it is not building up ready for when I go to bed.

[jola57]

LOL Jack, I love your optimism. Self medicate and to heck with docs. You are right after so long what can they prescribe that we don't know about? Just make sure they do the necessary blood tests and scans when you do go on monday.

[elephant]

Good luck Jack at your doctors visit tomorrow. Feel better soon.:)

[Jack]

Feeling much improved today and had much less coughing during the night. :)

Doc visit went much as predicted - got told to go earlier next time and given a full course of the antibiotic I had been using (Amoxicillin) plus a stand-by course to keep for emergencies!

My blood pressure was quite high so we decided that I should go back onto Ramapril, but at half the strength. I bought a blood pressure monitor at the pharmacy on the way home and now it is reading low again so I'm not sure what is going on at the moment.

[Sangye]

Jack, was that the only time your bp has run high lately? The standard is to give bp meds only after seeing high bp on 3 different visits.

Also, could it have anything to do with when you take your pred? Pred will raise bp, but is also so adrenal-depleting that it will lower it, too. You might be getting high bp spikes within a couple hours of taking it, then when it really kicks in it might drop too low.

[elephant]

Jack, I'm so glad you are on your way to feeling better. You sound like me with the blood pressure (up and down). At the doctors office my blood pressure is always up. My blood pressure is normal when I leave the house to go to the doc's then once I get there it's 145/90. I have three different blood pressure meds for emergency high blood pressure. Self medicating, but I know what I am doing. I take my blood pressure morning and night. Sometimes antibiotics can raise the blood pressure. I think Amoxicillin is ok ( it shouldn't raise your BP). Glad you got the blood pressure machine.:D:p

[Jack]

I think I'll hold off from restarting the Ramapril for a while and take a few more readings over the coming days.

[Doug]

Yes, Jack, glad something's in better control. The blood pressure machine is something I bought a short time before I was diagnosed with WG. (Think I was finally getting the picture? Probably not. It was on sale, and I thought I'd get one since my mother and father's machine wasn't always convenient.)

I've used it to compare readings with what they got at the doctor's. Fortunately, I don't have white jacket syndrome- the readings rarely varied more than 2-3 points either way from either measurement at the doctor's, so I felt comfortable taking frequent readings at one point to help my GP establish a new (lower) dosage level on my medications specific to heart.

End result, from being driven home from work with a blood pressure reading of something like 75 over 40 (I think that was the lower number) and told to stay home until I could get my doctor to verify my blood pressure issue was resolved, to resolving the issue to my GPs satisfaction, I took and shared my readings with him. He checked his nurse's readings against mine, was satisfied they were valid enough to assist him in his decision, signed the paperwork, and sent me back to work. He took me off one medication, and left me on Furosimide (40mg) mostly because I demonstrated the swelling in my feet that came back after I stopped it briefly.

Methodology is important when measuring blood pressure. If you have a blood pressure machine, try measuring your blood pressure with your arm straight down, held with your upper arm down against your side and your lower arm sticking out to form the bottom leg of an "L", and straight up. One further reading taken while you fidget around during the measurement further shows the broad range of possibilities for error. (Straight up in the air is just to show what happens.) Sitting and standing are two more variables, as are the person taking the reading, the size of the cuff (too small- it probably will pop off during the measurement, but if you hear the Velcro "ripping", it probably will be wrong, too.), the machine used, time of day.

Most of my office visit measurements are taken with the cuff on the right arm, me sitting, my arm in the "L" position. Whether this is best or not, this is the way it's usually done, so I ask that nurses other than the regular ones do it this was for consistency. I use the same methodology.

[coffeelover]

Hope you feel "normal" soon Jack!

This may be a "dumb" question but with Your chest hurting, could it be a bad case of heartburn?. That happens to me often and I swear I am having a heart attack every time it does.
If so stay away from the coffee!
coffeelover

[Doug]

Doesn't gallbladder pain approximate a heart attack pain, too? I've never experienced it personally.:)

[Jack]

After all these years, I'm only too familiar with heartburn and I've even had gall stones too! They really hurt!

This pain is more of a sharp stabbing pain in my side spreading up into my shoulder. Mainly the left side, but a little in the right too. It felt just like when I have broken ribs in the past and grabs every time I try to breath deeply. The thing that decided me against a diagnosis of broken ribs was the fact that I could not pin-point the source and the intensity varied over a few hours. Since starting the antibiotics, it has almost gone with just a slight twinge left this morning so I guess it was the infection.

Much reduced coughing again last night. :) I think I must have had this coming on for many weeks or even months because I had adjusted to the severe cough as a new normal.

[onatreetop]

Sorry you are feeling not well. i also recently have had a chest pain in the rib cage area pressure on my chest , breathing harder, almost winded like with dull to very sharp pain that landed me on my knees. I was sent for an echocardiogram and chest catscan and more blood work. The pulminary doctor wont she me until Jan. because the cat came back ok. Thats when my RA bumped the meds again. I was worried about the tech closing i can feel that it is inflamed or swollen. My hands where more swollen again too. the only other test they want to schedule is a sleep test. They ordered the kidney biop but canceled it after the test came back clean for blood in pee for first time. I have been a little busy.

Good luck and hope everything returned to the norm soon for you.

[elephant]

Back in March 2009 I had severe chest and back pain plus a fever. Duh! Didn't do anything about it for two days and that's when it got bad, could not get out of bed, and triple chest pain. Ended up going to the ER and they admitted me after I passed out, vomited and had a nodule in my lung. At that time I was on Imuran. So the docs were wondering is it drug reaction or Wegs flare? So they had me take cellcept after my Lung surgery. It does get confusing. Even though I am a RN and a very experinced one, it doesn't matter. I love denial!
Onatreetop and Jack get better soon. I am here for you all!:D

[onatreetop]

Thanks. I will feel better after I see the RA today. Hoping the blood work came back clean. We will see.

[Doug]

Onatreetop and Jack get better soon. I am here for you all!:D

Me too! You guys get better, and let us know when it happens.:):):)+1

[pberggren1]

I'd rather be in Denali than denial.

[Doug]

Even with the bears, Phil, me too!:D